GRANTHAM, Pa. - On a Homecoming Saturday, No. 23 Messiah field hockey team disposed of the visiting Montclair State Red Hawks by a 5-1 final score. Carrie Bair led the way with two goals in the opening quarter, helping the Falcons to a 2-0 halftime lead.

After a goal by the Red Hawks just two minutes into the second half, Kelsey Heltzel brought the lead back to two goals when she converted on a penalty stroke. With less than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Anna Koenig found Leah Bryner to bring the score to 4-1. A minute later. Olivia Zaskoda found Caitlyn Weatherill in front of the goal to bring the score to 5-1 in favor of Messiah.

With the victory, the Falcons improve to 6-4 on the season and will travel to Eastern University for a game with the Eagles on Friday, Oct. 11 at 4:00 p.m.

Bair Nets A Pair
Carrie Bair and the Falcons jumped all over the Red Hawks with two goals in the opening quarter, including a tally just 1:18 into the contest. Hailey Womer sent a hard cross from the right side to Bair in the circle. A top-shelf finish by Bair, put Messiah up 1-0 in the opening minutes.

Bair was at it again in the eighth minute, weaving through the Red Hawks' defense on the left side to get into a one-on-one opportunity with the goalie. With the goalie starting to come off her line, Bair cut to her left before bringing the ball back to her right and finishing inside the right post for a 2-0 lead.

Red Hawks Cut Into the Lead
The lead remained two goals for the entirety of the second quarter and into halftime.

Just as the Falcons did to start the game, the Red Hawks jumped out quickly in the second half. Sami Bloom scored in the first two minutes of the third quarter to cut Messiah's lead to a goal at 2-1. The goal came on the Red Hawks first shot of the afternoon.

Falcons Finish with Three Unanswered
Kelsey Heltzel pushed Messiah's advantage back to two goals in the 43rd minute with her sixth goal of the season on a penalty stroke.

Messiah added a pair of insurance goals in the final moments with tallies from Leah Bryner and Caitlyn Weatherill. For Bryner, the score was her third of the season and came off an assist from Ann Koenig in the 59th minute. Exactly a minute later, Caitlyn Weatherill scored the first goal of her career off a feed from Olivia Zaskoda with under a minute remaining in regulation.

In total, the Falcons controlled play throughout the afternoon, holding a 27-2 advantage in shots. Messiah put 16 of their attempts on frame against just one from the Red Hawks.

What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah claims their firth-straight win to move to 6-4 on the season. The Falcons will open MAC Commonwealth play next Friday night when they head to St. Davids, Pa. to take on the Eastern Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Oct. 11.